Hello everyone. I started slowly with this one, then moved up to a steady medium pace before grinding to a halt on my last couple, for which I ended up using aids. I also had a couple of letters transposed in one of the anagrams. Relevant comments inline below. I accidentally switched off the timer, but I think it took a little over the hour before I fell off the cliff.
They weren’t as it happened the ones that gave me the most trouble, but given the number of plants in the grid, my initial thoughts for a tagline to this post revolved around Flora. Flora Post(lud)e perhaps … and if you’re not a plant person you may well have felt that the presence of something nasty in the woodshed. Thanks setter!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 1a | Tropical bird repeated French word? (6) |
| MOTMOT — Repeated MOT (French word – the French word for “word”) | |
| 5a | Funny rock-forming mineral buried in mountain pass (7) |
| COMICAL — MICA (rock-forming mineral) buried in COL (mountain pass) | |
| 9a | County arranged date and support for sleepers (8) |
| BEDSTEAD — BEDS (county) + an anagram of (arranged) DATE | |
| 13a | Announce candidature? He’s not worth a flutter performing at Bayreuth? (5,4,3,2,3,4) |
| THROW ONE’S HAT IN THE RING — HE’S NOT WORTH A are anagrammed (flutter) + IN THE RING (performing at Bayreuth?). | |
| I know the argument in support of it, but treating the anagram fodder as a plural entity in this way jars with me a little | |
| 14a | Warm and protective doctor introducing a major transport system (8) |
| MOTHERLY — MO (doctor) preceding (introducing) THE RLY (the railway: a major transport system) | |
| 15a | Reportedly a member runs over fast (7) |
| ALLEGRO — ALLEG which sounds like (reportedly) A LEG (a member) + R (runs) + O (over) | |
| 16a | British prime minister cut down in conflict (6) |
| BATTLE — B (British) + ATTLEe (prime minister) without the last letter (cut down) | |
| 17a | Eccentric old dean on front of cathedral furnished with pillars (10) |
| COLONNADED — An anagram of (eccentric) OLD DEAN ON + the first letter of (front of) Cathedral | |
| 20a | Explicitness of photographic slide (12) |
| TRANSPARENCY — Two definitions | |
| 23a | Reasonable-sounding rate for travelling (4) |
| FARE — FAIR (reasonable)-sounding | |
| 24a | Type of hound going about in wickerwork cradle (8) |
| BASSINET — BASSET (type of hound) surrounding (going about) IN | |
| 26a | Treatment for inflammation in young fowl with cold substance (8) |
| POULTICE — POULT (young fowl) with ICE (cold substance) | |
| 29a | Old Bill’s Cuban story circulating round US city? (12) |
| CONSTABULARY — CUBAN STORY anagrammed (circulating) surrounding (round) LA (US city) | |
| 30a | Interfering with sound of gong a little (10) |
| MEDDLESOME — MEDDLE, which has the sound of MEDAL (gong) + SOME (a little) | |
| 32a | Mist one can break up on this side of the mountains (10) |
| CISMONTANE — MIST ONE CAN – anagram (break up). | |
| Another plural fodder! My main problem here though was unfamiliarity with the word. Eventually I realised the likely prefix and happily put in the correct answer, then looked at it and changed it to CISMONNATE. Well, I know now, and have filed it (along with ULTRAMONTANE and TRANSMONTANE) for future reference | |
| 34a | Unexpectedly Laura sat in as one down under (12) |
| AUSTRALASIAN — An anagram of (unexpectedly) LAURA SAT IN AS | |
| 36a | Innards of wading bird initially scanned by hospital department (8) |
| ENTRAILS — RAIL (wading bird) and the first letter of (initially) Scanned by ENT (hospital department) | |
| 38a | One who is sustained by hill dwellers? (8) |
| ANTEATER — A cryptic definition, which is clear once you think of an ant hill. | |
| I’m sure I would have seen this normally, but ended up using a wildcard search. It’s funny how sometimes the ones that get you aren’t the ones you’d think; I wouldn’t have classed this clue as particularly haardvark (sorry!) | |
| 39a | Smooth-talking, reflecting a lot of rubbish (4) |
| GLIB — Reversed (reflecting) all but the last letter of (a lot of) BILGe (rubbish) | |
| 41a | Hard-hearted behaviour not encountered by Naomi? (12) |
| RUTHLESSNESS — A biblical reference: in the story, Ruth stayed with her mother-in-law Naomi after the death of husband | |
| 43a | Rabbit on in bed, ultimately about story read out loud (10) |
| COTTONTAIL — ON in COT (bed), the last letter of (ultimately) abouT and TAIL: TALE (story), homophone (read out loud) | |
| 44a | Pair inside saw first of lags fall headlong (6) |
| SPRAWL — PR (pair) inside SAW and the first of Lags | |
| 46a | Clothing produced by learner after a quiet shave (7) |
| APPAREL — L (learner) after A, P (quiet) and PARE (shave) | |
| 48a | New pamphlet going into extremely effective interval music (8) |
| ENTR’ACTE — N (new) and TRACT (pamphlet) going into the outer letters of (extremely) EffectivE | |
| 50a | Throughout pub, mainly after that clamour is almost done (3,4,3,3,8) |
| ALL OVER BAR THE SHOUTING — ALL OVER (throughout) + BAR (pub) + all but the last letter of (mainly) THEn (after that) + SHOUTING (clamour) | |
| 51a | Increase has desired outcome for Madame Tussauds for example (8) |
| WAXWORKS — WAX (increase) + WORKS (has desired outcome) | |
| 52a | Way to make a comeback with introduction of a Royal Society magazine (7) |
| ARSENAL — LANE (way) reversing (to make a comeback) preceded by (with introduction of) A and RS (Royal Society) | |
| 53a | Jewish ascetic originally enchanted by German city (6) |
| ESSENE — The first letter of (originally) Enchanted by ESSEN (German city) | |
| Down | |
| 2d | Best alfresco celebration? (5) |
| OUTDO — An OUT DO might be an alfresco celebration | |
| 3d | Noblewoman advances south circling most of Scottish island (11) |
| MARCHIONESS — MARCHES (advances) and S (south) around (circling) most of IONa (Scottish island) | |
| 4d | Huge drawing spanning English river (8) |
| TOWERING — TOWING (drawing) spanning E (English) and R (river) | |
| 5d | Shrewd childminder’s beginning to change (5) |
| CANNY — nANNY (childminder)’s first letter (beginning) is to change | |
| 6d | Plant gathered for those attending (7) |
| MUSTARD — MUSTERED (gathered), soundalike (for those attending) | |
| 7d | Quackery Harry and Al can’t reform (11) |
| CHARLATANRY — HARRY and AL CAN’T are anagrammed (reform) | |
| 8d | In a relaxed position retailing pork pies? (5) |
| LYING — Double definitions, the second relying on a less common meaning of retail: to relate or recount in detail | |
| 9d | Weaver’s out of bed — get drinking! (7,2) |
| BOTTOMS UP — BOTTOM (the weaver in A Midsummer Night’s Dream)’S UP (is out of bed) | |
| 10d | Stupid wee boy entertains dull individual (5) |
| DWEEB — StupiD WEE Boy holds (entertains) the answer | |
| 11d | Terribly thin setter, last to teach fractions (11) |
| THIRTEENTHS — An anagram of (terribly) THIN SETTER with the final letter of (last to) teacH | |
| 12d | A new set in charge, pure and virtuous (7) |
| ANGELIC — A + N (new) + GEL (set) + IC (in charge) | |
| 18d | Secular priest’s love managed to embrace American conservative, we hear (9) |
| ORATORIAN — O (love) + RAN (managed) going around (to embrace) A (American) and TORI (TORY – conservative, we hear) | |
| 19d | Copper stabs doctor in the manner of a horror novel (7) |
| DRACULA — CU (copper) goes into (stabs) DR (doctor) and À LA (in the manner of) | |
| 21d | New mate’s air primarily impressing plant (9) |
| ARTEMISIA — An anagram of (new) MATE’S AIR with the initial letter of (primarily) Impressing | |
| 22d | Cultivated tips of younger allium plant (4,4) |
| ARUM LILY — An anagram of (cultivated) the outer letters of (tips of) YoungeR and ALLIUM | |
| 25d | Impasse occurring when horse’s companion dislodges bishop (9) |
| STALEMATE — STA[b]LEMATE (horse’s companion) dislodges B (bishop) | |
| 27d | River vessel, one skirting the Italian bell towers (9) |
| CAMPANILI — CAM (river) + PAN (vessel) and I (one) going round (skirting) IL (the Italian) | |
| 28d | Graduate in transport company having an important position (8) |
| MAINLINE — MA (graduate) + IN + LINE (transport company) | |
| 31d | Experienced organisation promoting peace leaves river (7) |
| DERWENT — [un]DERWENT (experienced); UN (organisation promoting peace) leaves | |
| 33d | Spongy sweet damages permit blocked by His Majesty (11) |
| MARSHMALLOW — MARS (damages) and ALLOW (permit) containing (blocked by) HM (His Majesty) | |
| 34d | Cloud identified by singer standing outside back of manor (11) |
| ALTOSTRATUS — ALTO (singer) + STATUS (standing) around (outside) the last letter of (back of) manoR | |
| 35d | House doctor sits with a guitar (11) |
| SAGITTARIUS — Make an anagram of (doctor) SITS with A GUITAR | |
| 37d | Oil producer left half of France under the protection of two lots of crack troops (9) |
| SASSAFRAS — The left half of FRAnce is inside (under the protection of) SAS SAS (two lots of crack troops) | |
| 40d | Piece of mail inviting depravity, do we hear? (8) |
| POSTLUDE — POST (mail) + LEWD (inviting depravity), soundalike (do we hear?). | |
| This was the second of the clues for which I gave up and used a wordfinder and again I don’t know why I didn’t get it | |
| 42d | Posh old man penning unfinished song in Swedish city (7) |
| UPPSALA — U (posh) + PA (old man) containing (penning) PSALm (song) which is unfinished | |
| 43d | Officer picked up slender Irish girl (7) |
| COLLEEN — COL (officer) + LEEN, sounding like (picked up) LEAN (slender) | |
| 45d | Organ recorded in concert room’s entrance (5) |
| LIVER — LIVE (recorded in concert) + Room’s first letter (entrance). | |
| I was looking for a homophone here and grumbling about obscure names for parts of buildings – d’oh! | |
| 47d | Endlessly lie around idly in Pennsylvania square (5) |
| PLAZA — Without the last letter (endlessly) LAZe (lie around idly) in PA (Pennsylvania) | |
| 48d | Woman’s article accepted by European journal finally (5) |
| ETHEL — THE (article) in (accepted by) E (European) and journaL finally | |
| 49d | Cross about holding up children’s game (5) |
| TIGON — ON (about) below (holding up) TIG (children’s game – the one I always knew as “tag” or “it”) | |
Whilst not exactly an easy puzzle most of it yielded to my solving techniques without putting up too much resistance.
There were two unknown answers, both making their first appearance here. MOTMOT with simple wordplay once a checker had arrived. The other was my bête noire, the obscurity clued as an anagram, CISMONTANE. The wording made MONTANE inevitable but SIC or CIS had me reaching for a coin to toss and of course it landed the wrong way up.
DNF
Failed to get NHO ORATORIAN. CIS- was no problem; I think I actually knew CISMONTANE, but in any case ‘cisgender’ has appeared often lately.
Having cheated to get CISMONTANE I gave up on POSTLUDE and cheated for that too.
Yep, another Cismontane hater here! But that’s the only quibble, and there were several really neat clues.
I like concise unambiguous clues like Out-do. Also Anteater raised a smile – one of those clues which is a mystery until the penny drops and then it seems obvious.
Kitty, I don’t understand the point you make about “plural fodder” anagrams?
Anyway, thank you for all the elucidations.
Hi Paul. Sorry, I didn’t manage to get back to you yesterday. I don’t know if you will see this now, but in case you do I’ve tried to explain my comment about “plural fodder” below.
Apologies if you already know what “fodder” is, but for anyone reading who doesn’t, this is content in the clue which is treated as a string of letters in the wordplay. That is, the meaning is completely irrelevant (except in the surface or superficial reading of the clue) – the letters are just there to be manipulated or selected from. So anagram fodder is just the content which is anagrammed.
Normally fodder is treated as a single entity. So, for the cryptic instruction to be grammatically sound, if you’re making an anagram of GSDKTFHJP it would be (to use the same indicators as in 13a and 32a above):
GSDKTFHJP flutters
or
GSDKTFHJP breaks up
not
GSDKTFHJP flutter
or
GSDKTFHJP break up
Of course, in those examples GSDKTFHJP is not one word in the clue. In cases like these there is an argument that it is ok to have constructions such as
GSDKT FHJP flutter
and
GSDKT FHJP break up
For some this reads naturally, for others it doesn’t. Now that you know what I’m talking about you will have your own opinion.
(Note that
GSD and KTF HJP reform
(as in 7d) passes without comment because the “and” clearly breaks the GSDKTFHJP into two parts.)
Hope that helps!
The fun was spoiled by too many obscurities. Worst clue for me: 41a, tied with 21d (I don’t enjoy trying to work out a word I’ve never heard of from an anagram). Favourite: 2d.